


An Earp in Name and Blood

by lankypants



Category: Wynonna Earp - Fandom
Genre: Canon Continuation, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, Gen, I always imagined Wynonna swearing a lot more, It seems like it but just keep reading, No Smut, Other, Set after 1x13, Way more F-bombs, Wayhaught shows up in chapter 2, no one dies I promise, slightly more romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-26
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-07-18 08:32:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7307794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lankypants/pseuds/lankypants
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set immediately following that explosive finale, this is basically how I imagine the story continuing. I will be focusing a lot on WayHaught, but will be telling the larger story as well. Nicole will show up in chapter 2, but that cliffhanger needed to be addressed first. I hope you enjoy :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Blackened soul

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at writing any sort of fiction. I plan to keep going, as this has proven to be quite therapeutic, but I would very much welcome any and all (constructive) feedback. Please comment if you like it, or have something to say.
> 
> Also, I work nights, so I spend most of my time off alone. Which means this story will probably be updated pretty frequently. So, yay? Maybe?

     They say that in the moment right before you die, your entire life flashes before your eyes, all your mistakes and triumphs laid bare. Wynonna Earp had plenty of the former (hell, hours ago the whole town had tried to kill her because of them), and had thought mighty long on how painful this all-too-probable recollection would likely be. When she realized that there was to be no morose movie recounting 10 years of bad deeds and social suicides, as she once put it, she let out a little mental sigh.

 _Thank whatever burbon-basted god’s out there_ , she thought wryly, _for that that little miracle_.

     She was pleased to find that, instead, time had just gotten _really, really weird_. The tip of Waverly’s gun, pointed square between Wynonna’s eyes, seemed to hang there for minutes, the spiral grooves etched inside its barrel gleaming in the sunlight. She thought she should be scared, considering her little sister was about to kill her. Petrified, really. Rather, she found herself noticing strange, meaningless details, like the tiny snowflake, landing and almost immediately melting on Waves’ pink, button nose. Or the particular crunch the snow made as she stepped her foot slightly back, anchoring her weight, readying herself for the gun’s recoil.

 _Ironic, don’t you think_ , she mused, pleased with her ability to always come up with a snarky one-liner, no matter the circumstances. After all, Willa had been in this exact position just a few hours earlier facing down Peacemaker, finally glowing again in Wynonna’s hand, though she was infinitely grateful for the lack of slimy Cthulhu tentacle-mouth-bullshit wrapped around her. Thankfully the analogy stopped there.

     Willa deserved to be stopped, that was sure. She had betrayed her family’s trust, conspired with Bobo Del Ray, attempted to kill the entire town of Purgatory, and worst of all, tried to murder Waverly’s girlfriend. The revelation of the relationship had shocked her, not because she’s dating a woman, of course not, but because she had literally no idea it was going on. And for Waverly to say she loved Nicole? It must be serious. To try and take that away from her little sister, to hurt her at the core of her being, that was simply unforgivable. Still, she didn’t want to kill Willa. She had wanted to save her; despite her past failings, she knew that if she had just had more time she could’ve found a way. But yet again, she had taken the life of yet another family member, mercy kill or not, and she would never forgive herself for it.

     Movement snapped her out of her thoughts. The littlest Earp had begun to squeeze the trigger, the tendons in her wrist apparent, moving like worms under the skin, little hairs standing on end. Wynonna closed her eyes, accepting her fate. She didn’t know why the hell Waverly was trying to kill her, but she was not about to hurt her baby sister. Not after Willa. Not ever.

***~***

Doc was exhausted. Explosions will do that to a man, no matter how much that man likes dynamite. He had finally started to relax during their walk, believing the crisis to be over, and was so looking forward to a glass of whiskey, a cigarillo, and a nice fire, hopefully accompanied by one Wynonna Earp. While seeing her kiss Dolls had hurt, it was not unexpected- the two of them did have a certain kind of chemistry, if you want to call it that. He was not about to give up in his pursuit, however, especially considering the fortuitous situation he now found himself in. The Deputy Marshall was on a military truck, headed to goodness knows where, and here he was, next to his hero, no interference from that odd-eyed oddball. Of course he would never tell Wynonna exactly what he thought of her. He might call her _a_ hero, sure, but never _his_ hero. Not to her face. He just had too much pride. But, honestly, that’s what she’d become. She was more Earp than Wyatt ever was, her heart bigger than she would ever know. She’s faced down her demons, both literally and figuratively, and a tentacle monster to boot, all with a cocky attitude and a sexy grin. She was incredible, simply put, and he was gonna fight for her.

     When Waverly strode over, an odd smile on her face that didn’t quite reach her eyes, and asked if they were ready to go, the hair on the back of his neck stood up. There was something about that smile that just wasn’t right. The littlest Earp had become a force of her own these last few weeks, and Doc found, in spite of himself, a sense of pride in the woman and her accomplishments. To stand up and claim your own place in the world is no small feat, especially when that place is terrifying in its own right. And while they had their tense moments, they got on well enough that he considered her a friend, a friend whose smile was always genuine, especially since she got together with that Officer Haught. So to see that odd expression was alarming, to say the least, and he began moving before his mind could fully comprehend the events surrounding him. He wasn’t known as the fastest draw in the west for nothing. His hands grasped the handle of his revolver, just a hair after Waverly leveled the gun at her sister. As quickly as he could, he drew his weapon and shot at the one in Waverly's hand. As the shot rang out, his heart skipped a beat.

***~***

     The cold snow felt good on her throbbing head.

     She gasped in air, thankful for the chill it brought into her lungs. Wynonna Earp was way too stubborn to die. After all, she thought as she struggled out of her unconscious stupor, if she’s not around to give Waverly and Haughtstuff shit, then what kind of big sister is she?

      _W_ _averly_. The thought flickered in her befuddled brain, then vanished.

     “The rompin’ fuck happened”, she slurred, slowly pushing herself off the frozen ground, wincing as the position change rang bells and explosions in her head, which felt approximately 10 times bigger than it should. The world still blurry, and light now her enemy, it took a few seconds for the scene around her to come into focus.

     “Why do I feel like I drank Shorty’s dry, then robbed a liquor store for an encore?” She asked this to no one in particular, as she could not for the life of her remember what happened a second ago, nor could she hear thanks to the ringing in her ears. Hopefully someone took notice of her boss ass rhyme.

     Suddenly, again, it hit. _Waverly._

     Her little sister had tried to shoot her.

     She raised her hand to the right side of her head, fingers coming away bloody. The bullet just grazed her, but hit with enough force to knock her out. The world slowly righted itself, her double vision deciding to try the single life. Waverly was there, pinned to the ground by Doc, his left knee firmly planted in between the little one’s shoulder blades, the gun that had come so close to ending her run as the heir thrown a few feet away from Waves’ right hand, Doc’s remaining knee trapping the limb against the ground.

     “-RE YOU!” Doc screamed in that odd drawl of his, made all the more pronounced by his anger.

     A strange voice came from her baby sister’s mouth, one that was hers but not, almost like a bad audio track. A distorted Waverly layered over her normal sound.

     “I. Am. DEATH.” Her eyes turned a milky black as she screamed the last word, more of a growl than a yell.

     “Waves? Baby girl?”

     Wynonna crawled towards her sister, quick as her limbs would allow, knees scraping the hard, frozen ground.

     “Waverly? What… what happened to you? What the hell is going on? Doc? DOC!”

     Doc’s head snapped in her direction.

     “The beast you see before you, this is most decidedly not Waverly, not by a long shot, not any longer”, Doc sneered, adjusting his position, attempting to fight the tiny but remarkably strong young woman.

     “BEAST?” Waverly chuckled. “Fool. You speak as though you know anything about this world. You, a hairless ape… a mortal.” She spat out the last word, as though it tasted terrible on her tongue.

     Doc grinned. “Perhaps you have not heard. My name is Doc Holliday, and I most certainly am not a mortal. I’ve been alive 130 years. Take care with your words, demon, you are in no position to be cocky.”

     The thing-that-is-not-Waverly laughed, her head craned around near to breaking, dark eyes focused on the man holding her down. “And we have been around millions. We watched your pathetic ancestors take their first steps onto dry land. We have feasted on your kind for millennia! You lot are food, cattle for the taking, nothing more. And you call me a beast.” With this she slowly turned her head to face Wynonna, black now streaking down her cheeks. “Stay where you are, human. Lest I break this one's neck.”

     Wynonna froze, just a few feet away from Waverly. Trembling, she attempted to stand, the action requiring more effort than she’d like to admit. _This can’t be real_ , she thought, shrugging her shoulders back slightly, hoping it made her look more confident than she felt.

     “Who... what… are you? What have you done with my Waverly?” Her voice betrayed her fear.

     “Waverly is gone, stupid girl. I am all that remains. Congratulations, Wynonna Earp; you’ve killed yet another of your family”, the thing grinned, lips reaching higher than any normal lips should, eyes sinister. “Though she’s not really your family, now is she?” The grin morphed into a snarl.

     “What the shit are you talking about? She’s my little sister, and I’m not losing her too, not today.” Some of her old composure creeping back into her spine. “Not to your skeevy ass”, she said, raising the butt of peacemaker before bringing it down on the back of Waverly’s head. “Sorry, baby girl. I’m so, so sorry.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: I made a small change to Doc's section. Instead of pushing Wynonna out of the way, I rewrote it to reflect what would more likely have happened with his character. I don't know why I didn't think of it the first time.


	2. Love's Voice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Written mostly from Nicole's POV, the lovers finally reunite, but it doesn't go quite how she'd expected. In the end, though, love overcomes anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took much longer to write than I'd planned. I think the gang deserves some peace after this one.
> 
> EDIT: I made a very small alteration to reflect the similarly small changes I made to chapter 1. Nothing that affects the story in any way, just minor details.

     The station was weirdly empty for noon on a weekday, the echoes of Nicole’s boots sounding off the walls, no ambient noise to drown out the sound. She had hoped to find Waverly in the Black Badge office, as they had made plans to spend the afternoon bringing Nicole up to speed on the details of the Revenants, as well as all the events that had transpired over the past few months. She still had difficulty believing she was finally a BBD agent, finally let in on all the weirdness surrounding the town. She understood the need for secrecy, but she’d be lying if she said it hadn’t started to feel insulting, always being left out. She was a damn good cop, after all, and felt like she had something to contribute to the group. But now that was in the past, and she could finally use her skills to help Waverly and Wynonna fight the _literal demons_ plaguing them from their past. Even now, her highly trained instincts were kicking in, telling her that something was off. There should at least be _someone_ , anyone, in the office, but it was completely empty. Nedley had given her the day off, told her to nurse the enormous bruise she’d been gifted by Waves’ dickbag of a sister, but she couldn’t just sit at home all day. The rest of the department was home trying to kick the worst hangover of their life, but she expected at least one other person to be around. _It is a police station, after all_ , she thought.

     The town had been in chaos following the party. Dolls and the BBD had managed to cure almost everyone before the poison took an irreversible toll, though sadly a few hadn’t made it. Champ was still in the hospital; he’d ingested so much of the poison that he needed more medicine than most, and the broken jaw Nicole gave him before all hell broke loose wasn’t really helping matters. Gladly the doctors and nurses said he’d be fine before too long. _I can’t believe what a glass jaw that asshole has_ , she chuckled to herself. She’d been wanting to deck him ever since Shorty’s funeral, when he’d made it clear he didn’t really see Waverly as the wonderful person she was, smothering her with obviously unwanted attention. _At least he learned his lesson… maybe. He really isn’t the brightest bulb in the box_ , she pondered. But if Champ, who’d had drank enough bubbly to drown an ox, was gonna make it, then she really needn’t worry.

     Nicole hung her hat and coat on the rack, and headed to the bathroom to check on her bandage. The bullet had hit with enough force that it broke skin, despite the protection the vest offered. She’d tried to play it cool in front of Waverly, but the event had shaken her. That was twice now she’d barely escaped alive, actually dying the first time she came face-to-face with the supernatural, needing resuscitation. She’d been gone for just a minute, but dead she had been. Nicole had a hell of a constitution, you had to in order to be an openly gay deputy in a small town, but the fact that she was 0 for 2 irked her. _I’ve gotta get stronger_ , she thought, promising herself she’d begin training as soon as she could lift her arms above her head. _Waverly doesn’t need protection, not in the slightest, but she needs an equal to fight by her side, and I’ve got some work to do_ , she said to herself, wincing as she lifted her uniform to see a small 4x4 gauze taped to her sternum, a small dark spot of red adorning the white of the bandage. Satisfied that she wasn’t going to bleed through it for at least a little while, she made her way to her desk, hoping the littlest Earp would be by soon to help kiss the pain away. _Chicks do dig scars_ , she laughed.

     She had just sat down when a commotion began echoing down the hall. Thankful for the distraction, she began to stand when she heard Waverly’s voice, small and pleading. Her heart jumped in her throat. Her voice was terrified, similar to when Willa’s gun was aimed at Nicole. She could just make out some of the words.

     “-doing this to me?” Waverly cried, begging her captors to let her go. Nicole drew her gun, ready to take down whomever was holding her girlfriend against her will.

     “Listen here you creature,” Doc’s voice reverberated down the deserted hall, that odd accent of his making it slightly difficult to discern his words, “we’ve already told you that begging in her voice will get you nowhere, so kindly shut your goddamn mouth.”

 _We’ve._ So there’s more than one. _Why in the hell would Doc have Waverly captured? What the hell is going on?_ She loosened her grip on her firearm. It was still a shock to learn that the man who looked straight out of the old west was actually literally straight out of the old west. _He must be what, 150 years old by now_ , she wondered, _maybe he’s finally snapped_. Her grip tightened once more, and as the voices crept closer, still more pleading from Waverly, she raised her weapon. To her shock, though, Wynonna rounded the corner first.

     “HEY NOW! Woah there Haught, hold up. What the fuck is going on.” It was more a statement than a question. Blood caked the right side of her face, an obvious wound cut into her temple, hair a matted mess. “We have GOT to stop meeting when guns are drawn, this is getting really old, really quickly.” Doc turned the corner then, dragging a prone Waverly behind him by a rope tied around her wrists, sliding along the ground like a sack of garbage. To see the woman she loved treated like this was too much, regardless of who was involved.

     “The fuck is going on is right, Wynonna. Doc,” she turned her attention to the ageless man, “why is my girlfriend being dragged around like old compost?”

     “Nicole, baby, help me, they’ve gone crazy! They knocked me-“, the words cut off as Doc kicked Waverly in the stomach, an involuntary groan escaping those soft lips as air was forced from her lungs. The gun in Nicole’s hands made a metallic sound as she tightened her grip even more.

     “WHAT THE FUCK, DOC!” Nicole screamed, an edge of terror creeping in to her voice. She had no clue what was going on, but she was about ready to stop caring.

     “Doc, dude, cut it out. If you hadn’t noticed, Officer Haught here has a bullet with your name on it ready to go. Probably a good idea to not kick her girlfriend.” Wynonna cut through with a bit of reason.

     “This thing here is not her beloved, Wynonna.” He seethed contempt for the girl on the floor, his eyes an angry fire. “Or don’t you remember it trying to kill you?”

     “No, not really, and like I told you, that _thing_ is still my sister.”

 _So that explains the gash on her head_. Nicole started to piece the scene together. Her instinct told her that Wynonna could be trusted here… Doc, not so much. She trained her gun on his front shoulder.

     "As nice as it is to see you Wynonna, I’m gonna need an explanation here, otherwise Doc is getting one in the arm.”

     “Put your gun back in your Haughtpants”, the casual joke helping Nicole feel a bit more at ease. “Doc isn’t crazy. Something’s wrong with Waverly.” She said the last few words softly, concern saturating her voice. Nicole slowly obliged, holstering her sidearm. While she trusted Wynonna, she left her guard up. Something was still off about the whole situation.

     “Ok, but I still need to know why my girlfriend is on the ground, why she’s tied up, and why she tried to shoot you.” Her heart ached. She knew she was head over heels for Waverly from the second she saw her, but she hadn’t quite realized the depths of her feelings until she’d been shot. In the moments right after, as she was lying on the ground looking up at Waverly, love and fear and happiness etched into every inch of her face, she realized she loved this woman, this remarkable, brave, kind, intelligent woman. She was a goner, to be Waverly’s forever, or at least as long as she’d have her.

     “Babe, please, don’t let them hurt me.” Waverly’s voice was so small, so hurt, it took everything in Nicole’s power not to rush to her, to scoop her into her arms as the smaller one had done not so long ago, to tell her it was all going to be ok.

     The thought must have been obvious on her face. Wynona placed a gentle hand on her arm. “This hurts me just as much as it does you, Nicole.” She was more serious than the deputy had ever seen, and it was clear she was just as confused. “Waverly is not Waverly right now. She tried to shoot me. Luckily Doc managed to shoot her gun, or at least I think he did, the details are a bit foggy right now… I was knocked out for a second.” Wynonna paused, seemingly attempting to clear her memories. “All I know is, when I came to, my little sister’s eyes were black, and her voice was not her own. Or, it was, but it wasn’t. I don’t know how to explain it… never seen anything like this.” She got quieter as she spoke, eyes on the floor, the last words meant more for herself than anyone else. She took a second, then locked her eyes with the taller woman. “Look, we can hash out the details later. First, we need to tie her up. She’s strong as a bull right now, and I’m not sure that rope is gonna hold much longer.”

     Shocked, Nicole’s face turned white. She tried to swallow the lump in her throat, tried to let her training kick in, tried to not to look at the love of her life, whimpering on the floor. The thought of those gorgeous hazel eyes marred in any way… “Her eyes were _black_?” Her voice was incredulous, barely able to make sense of what Wynonna had told her.

     “Like I said, she’s not herself. We can deal with this later, but right now we need you to help us. Whatcha got?”

     “I… I guess we can take her to the interrogation room.” Nicole suggested this, barely hearing her own words. Her thoughts were completely on Waverly. Things had just settled down, and they were finally going to get some normalcy back in their lives, or whatever passed for normalcy in Purgatory. They were finally going to get a chance at just being a couple, without having to hide now that everyone knew. The fear of losing that, of possibly losing her love… it was almost too much. With an effort, she made a slow progression towards Waverly. Kneeling down, she removed the handcuffs from her belt. _Definitely not how I imagined using these on you_ , she mused, wryly. Reaching behind her girlfriend’s back, she kissed Waverly’s forehead, taking in her scent, normally so intoxicating, now altered. The smaller one flinched from the touch – something was definitely not right. With a ratchet and a click, she secured the cuffs, and helped the other two move Waverly, apologizing to her the entire way.

***~***

     The inside of Waverly’s head was a swirling shitstorm of chaos. She was cut off from her body, retaining a muted awareness of the outside world but unable to control herself, like the moments surrounding a really deep sleep. The voices in her mind echoed all around her; dark, menacing things, she did her best to shut them out, but with no ears to cover and nowhere to run she found herself bombarded. This was invasive in a way she’d never imagined possible- she felt violated, wanting to retch but unable to do so. The voices came from every direction, seeking purchase in her consciousness, digging out every insecurity she fought so hard to overcome. Of these, one stood out in particular, it’s sound unique and indescribably awful. It reminded her vaguely of the metal shop she occasionally passed in high school.

_Waverly, Waverly, Waverly… what to do with you._

     The grinding voice addressed her directly. She tried to speak, but found no words. The creature laughed. If she’d had the ability, embarrassingly, she’d have pissed herself.

_Stupid girl, you have no voice here. And soon, you’ll have no family to speak of. The ones you think love you? They’ll soon be dead, and by your hand, no less._

     A pause. Waverly heard a gunshot in the outside world, but without a clue as to the circumstances.

_Congratulations, little one, you’ve just killed the only surviving Earp._

     Bobo’s words were fresh in her memory. “You’re not even an Earp”, he’d told her. She wasn’t sure she believed him; he was a demon, after all. But if she was honest with herself, it had a ring of truth about it. The youngest by so many years, her memories of her family were so drastically different from her sisters’. Willa was the golden child, she could do no wrong no matter how big a bully she was. Granted Daddy treated her like shit, the expectations of the heir placed on her from a young age, but she was never in trouble, no matter how much she hurt the youngest sister. And at least he spoke to her. Wynonna had it the easiest, getting to live a normal-ish childhood… well, normal considering their family name. She was the only one to show kindness to Waverly, celebrating her birthday each year with her, making her whatever treat or gift she was able to with a child’s resources. Ward never remembered her birthday. In fact, it was never acknowledged by anyone besides Wynonna. Hell, if she being truthful, she didn’t remember having a single conversation with her father without another sister present. It was almost like she was a pariah in his eyes. And after their mother left, they never spoke again. Her older sister was the only role model she’d ever had, and after she left Waverly felt lost. It’s why she spend most of her life trying to be what people expected of her. Yes, she was trying to clear the Earp name, but she also had no clue at all who she was, who she could be, who she was allowed to be. It wasn’t until recently that she’d begun to discover anything at all about herself. And now that Wynonna was back, the rightful heir, as undeserving of the title as she might be, she had a purpose. She was the smart one, able to help fight demons with the power of her intelligence. If what this monster said was true, if it used her body to kill Wynonna…

     She cried without tears, a desperate plea for this to be a nightmare.

_You think you’re here to fight demons? Child… you don’t even know what you are, do you?_

     “You’ve got depths, that neither of us know the bottom of yet, trust me.” The demon’s words rang in her mind again. Fucking Bobo.

     From the outside world she heard a familiar voice, clearer than a bell, more musical and lovely than anything she’d heard in her entire life. It called to her, pleading.

     “Waverly, baby, it’s me. I know you’re in there, somewhere. I know you can hear me. You’re stronger than this thing… please, I know you’re there… I love you. Please come back to m-“, the words replaced with a guttural shriek, pain seeping from every note. It was Nicole, and she was suffering. Was it her doing this? Was she hurting the woman she loved?

     The thought of Nicole in pain was too much, and something deep inside her snapped, a great swell of energy erupting from the core of her being. She focused it all on the creature controlling her, willing it to stop, to die, to leave her mind regardless of the consequences.

 _YOU THINK STOPPING ME WILL SAVE YOU? DESTRUCTION IS IN YOUR NATURE, WAVERLY! YOU WILL BRING PAIN AND SUFFERING TO EVERYONE YOU LOVE, NOTHING WILL STOP THAT. NOTHING!!!!_ The thing screamed, like nails on a chalkboard, its voice receding slowly at first, the distance growing exponentially. A small spot of light showed through the darkness, and without a body to use, she imagined herself swimming towards it, willing it to come closer. A cool white light surrounded her, and she surrendered.

***~***

     The pressure on her chest lessened, just enough for her to regain her senses. As her vision righted itself, she saw Waverly, eyes back to normal just above her, a blank expression on her face. The pain was still intense, even worse than when the bullet initially hit. She was sure a rib was broken, and would be lucky if that was the extent of the damage. Waverly’s blank expression changed to one of disgust, then nausea. With a start, the smaller woman moved to Nicole’s side, vomiting a thick, black, oily substance, rancid and hot. She collapsed on the ground just as Wynonna reached the pair. Dragging Waverly away by her feet, she left the smaller woman and came to Nicole’s aid.

     “Nicole! Haught! You ok? Can you talk?”

     “Y… yeah. Shit that hurt. Don’t think I can move though.” Her voice was weaker than she expected.

     “Dammit, we really need to find other ways to bond, you and I.” A smirk on her face, Wynonna patted the redhead’s cheek. And with that, she bolted to Waverly.

     Nicole made an attempt to sit up, and immediately thought better of it. She was sure she’d heard a crunch when not-Waverly was on top of her, and didn’t want to risk puncturing her lung. Her breath was shallow enough already. She turned her head in time to see Waverly start shaking, her body wracked with sorrow and pain, sobbing harder than she’d ever heard from another human. Her heart ached, and not from the broken rib. She couldn’t imagine what must be going through her head, and she wanted nothing more than to go to her girlfriend, to comfort her. Driven by a need greater than anything she’d known, she scooted herself along the floor towards the brunette, using her legs to propel herself on her back. It was a ridiculous sight, she was sure, but she didn’t care. Waverly needed her, needed to know she was loved.

***~***

     Doc came to while the scene was unfolding. Approaching the sisters cautiously, he knelt by Wynonna. “Is she ok”, he asked gently, a hand resting on Wynonna’s shoulder, tenderness in his voice. The heir’s face was covered in tears.

     “I think you should call an ambulance, pretty sure Nicole’s gonna kill herself getting over here,” she whispered. The deputy creeping by, pain apparent on her face, she seemed determined to reach Waverly. _Yup, she’s a good one alright_ , Wynonna thought as Waverly opened her eyes a crack. Wynonna’s heart jumped- the eyes were all Waverly, though the deep hurt in them was new.

     “You’re alive?” She squeaked. She sounded surprised. _How much does she remember?_

     “I’m here, baby girl, I’m here.”

***~***

     “Waverly, honey,” Nicole groaned as she finally reached the siblings.

     “Nicole?!” Waverly gasped, and started crying even harder than before. She rolled from Wynonna’s embrace, crawled the small distance between her and the other woman and buried her face in Nicole’s neck, sobbing uncontrollably.

     “I’m… so… sorry. Did… I… hurt you?” She managed to say while her body shook from the tears.

     “Not at all, babe. Not even a scratch.” The redhead winked at her beloved, joy emanating from her entire body despite the pain.

     Hell, at that point, Nicole couldn’t feel a thing besides Waverly.

     The younger one’s voice was so small, so tiny, guilt saturating it. “I’m so sorry, Nicole.” She looked into her eyes. “I love you, I’m so… so sorry.”

     Nicole’s eyes seemed to glow with happiness, and forgetting the rib, she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, pulling her into an embrace that should have left her screaming. “I love you too Waverly Earp, more than you could know.”

     The two laid there, just holding one another, as the sirens from the ambulance sounded in the distance.


	3. A Time for Healing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Peace has finally found it's way to the homestead once again, bringing with it a respite from the pain and suffering the women have endured lately. Mostly WayHaught romance, a little sisterly bonding as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a ton of fun to write, and I sincerely hope you enjoy reading it. Now that our characters have healed up, or at least are functional once again, next chapter we can get back to doing what the BBD does best, kicking some ass. Yay for action!

                Waverly shot up in bed, her breath ragged, shallow and fast. Her sleep had been fraught with nightmares, flooded with images and snippets of her time possessed. It had been a week since the event, and the memories of the acts she committed were slowly starting to return. It was not a pleasant occurrence.

                “Baby, what’s wrong?” Nicole asked sleepily, the pain medicine making her groggy, her fingers tracing the bones in Waverly’s arm. Even half-asleep, she was careful not to touch the scabs on her wrists, the marks the handcuffs had left when she broke them off right before attacking everyone. They were the only outward sign that anything had happened to her.

                 Since their release from the hospital a week ago, they’d spent nearly every possible minute together, each one refusing to let the other out of sight. They needed each other now more than ever; Nicole had been in so much pain from the broken ribs she could barely function on her own, and Waverly felt so guilty about the injuries she’d caused that she was determined to nurse her love back to health, to at least do something to make up for her transgressions. The redhead kept telling her it wasn’t her fault, that she didn’t blame her one bit, and Waverly believed her when she said it. She really did. But she still couldn’t help beating herself up about everything. In truth, she considered the entire situation her fault to begin with. She, feeling desperate to prove herself after Bobo’s shocking words, had stupidly knelt down and touched the odd, black goo. There was no reason for it. No one had forced her, no one had even asked her to inspect it; her own curiosity and childishness had caused so much pain and destruction, just like the voice in her mind had said she would.   

                “Just… a bad dream. Nothing to worry your pretty, sleepy face about.” Waverly forced a grin, bending her head down to kiss her girlfriend’s forehead. This elicited a warm smile from Nicole, her eyes still closed, half-asleep. It wasn’t long before she drifted back off, influenced as she was by the Percocet. Waverly waited, watching the love of her life doze away, wondering what kind of dreams she was having, amazed that this wonderful creature still loved her despite all the wrong she’d done. She couldn’t believe how incredibly lucky she was, and she felt totally undeserving of it. She waited until the taller woman’s breathing eased, until she was sure the other was deep asleep, to slowly extricate herself from underneath the mountain of covers on Waverly’s bed. The cold in the air was bracing, and she threw on one of Nicole’s sweatshirts and a pair of light blue, fuzzy slippers before heading downstairs.

                Unsurprisingly the kitchen light was still on, Wynonna sitting alone, sipping at a beverage that almost definitely had some sort of alcohol in it. It was warm too, judging by the steam rising from the cup. Her older sister met Waverly’s eyes as she entered the room. _Older sister_ , she thought, _I wonder how true that really is_. Wynonna’s eyebrows furrowed in a look of concern that was becoming all too frequent and annoying. On one hand she appreciated that everyone seemed to care so deeply, that no one pointed the finger at her, but honestly this whole situation would be so much easier if they did. It would be simpler if they faulted her, hated her for what she’d done, because then everything would make so much more sense, would match with the feelings inside her heart. But no, everyone was just so damn nice to her. It made her feel a thousand times worse.

                Wynonna must have sensed these thoughts, on some level at least, because she erased her expression almost as soon as it began. “How’s Nicole?” she asked instead, choosing to talk about something other than Waverly. For that the younger one was infinitely grateful.

                “Warm, asleep, happy. Lovely.” Her cheeks blushed. Despite everything that’d happened, she was still completely smitten with the woman.

                Wynonna grinned. “Good. You kiss all her pain away?” She winked, making the red in Waverly’s cheeks deepen, now embarrassed as well.

                “Shut up, dork.” The familiarity helped ease her mind, reminded her that for now, they were all ok.

                “You know you love me.” A smirk spread across her face. “Look, now that Dimples is on the mend, and you two are spending a disgusting amount of time together,” she said lovingly, “we need to set some ground rules.” She’d taken to calling her Dimples ever since the police station, though she wouldn’t say why.

                Waverly groaned and rolled her eyes. She knew what was coming.

                “First, no sex in common rooms. I don’t wanna walk in on my baby sister ass up in some compromising position, getting god-knows-what all over my lovely couch.” Waverly scoffed and picked up a sugar packet off the table, throwing it at her. “Hey now, I’m sure you’d say the same to me!” She was having entirely too much fun with this. “Second, and this is an important one…” she drew out the pause for dramatic effect, her tone changing ever so slightly to a more serious one, “please have fun. Enjoy yourselves. You two, hell all of us, have been through way too much lately to take this all seriously. And you deserve a real relationship, Waverly, someone who cares for every incredible thing about you; Champ never really treated you right. This one,” she gestured upstairs, “she’s a good one, and I reckon one of the very few left in this goddamn town. The way she fought for you… well, let’s just say I approve.”

                Words of wisdom from Wynonna Earp. Maybe the world really had come to an end.

                “Wy, I don’t know what to say. Thank you. And those sound like reasonable terms, but only if you agree to the same, for whomever you end up with.” Her sister’s affection surprised her. They hadn’t had a chance to really talk about things after she came out, it was a bit of an unorthodox situation to say the least. And while she was damn near certain she and Nicole had her blessing, it was nice to hear it said clearly, out loud. Waverly was quite unused to this more straightforward Wynonna. _The fight with Willa must’ve hit her deep_ , she thought.

                “It’s a deal.”

                “Hey… Wynonna? Can I say something?”

                 “Of course, baby girl, anything you’d like. Anything besides you’re in love with Champ again.”

                “Ha! No… never that. Look…” Waverly swallowed, her stomach rising into her throat. The words had been building for over a week, fitting like a dam to burst, and before she knew it they were spilling over, beyond her control. “I… I’m so, so sorry. I caused you and everyone so much pain, I don’t-“

                “No.” Wynonna cut her off. “We’re not doing this now, not tonight. You need to focus on yourself, you and Nicole, and-“

                “Wynonna, please, can we just be honest with each other for once?” The question came off sharper than she’d intended, the pent up emotion sharpening her words like a blade.

                 “Fine, you want me to be honest?” Emotion seeping into her voice, the cool exterior she usually exerts melting away in front of Waverly’s gaze. “Seeing you like that broke my damn heart. Your eyes were _black_ , Waverly. Your voice… I’ve had nightmares about it every night this week. I was utterly, completely terrified that I’d lost you too. I’d just killed Willa, for fuck’s sakes…” and with that, her voice broke, tears welling up in her eyes. Waverly’s stomach sank. With everything that had happened, she’d been so wrapped up in her own thoughts, so focused on her own pain that she’d forgotten to see things from anyone else’s perspective. She still hadn’t had a real conversation with Nicole, her being in either unbearable pain or loopy from the narcotics, and her sister was normally so stoic and sarcastic she never really stopped to think about what kind of impact everything had had on her. She rushed to hug her big sister. _Fuck Bobo_ , she resolved, _we may or may not be related, but she’s still my sister, no matter what_.

                “Wynonna, I’m so sorry. I’ve been so wrapped up in my own head… I never thought… you know you didn’t have a choice though, right? She forced your hand. It was a bit of mercy, anyways.”

                The elder one tightened her embrace before pulling away, wiping the tears from her eyes. She never was much for crying, and they’d all had about enough of that the last few days.

                “You know what baby girl? Enough with the melodramatics.” Waverly arched an eyebrow at the use of the word not normally in the elder one's vocabulary. “Shut up, I’ve been reading too, dummy.” Wynonna laughed and slapped her shoulder. “Like I said, enough with the _bullshit_. Is that better?” She leveled a look at Waverly, as if to say she was being a little more serious. “We need to get back to normal. Fighting bad guys, and looking sexy as hell doing it. You with me Waves?”

                “Definitely.” Waverly pulled her into another embrace.

                They stood there, alone in the kitchen, the cool night air creeping in through the cracks in the house, holding one another, happy to just be for the time being. After a while, neither knew exactly how much time had passed, they pulled apart. Waverly got herself a glass of water, and headed back upstairs to Nicole. She still had so much to say, but now wasn’t the time. Right now, Nicole needed her. And that was enough.

*~*

                As Waverly made her way back to her bedroom, Wynonna crept back towards the couch, figuring it was past time to get a little shut eye. The sun would be up in a few hours, and she had business to attend to. Her and Doc were deep into plans for rescuing Dolls, and they still had so much work ahead of them. She couldn’t shake the feeling, however, that there was more to Waverly’s thoughts than she let on. That girl was so brave and strong… _She’s not really your family, now is she?_ Wynonna shook herself, Not-Waverly’s voice echoing in her skull. What did that creature mean? What the hell _was_ that creature? The thoughts raced through her mind, and as she fell asleep, she could tell she was in for yet another night of terrible dreams. But Waverly was Waverly again, and she was safe. That’s all that mattered for now.

*~*

                A couple more days passed, and Nicole was feeling so much better. Having mostly recovered, she convinced Waverly to go for a walk outside, anxious to feel the sun on her skin again. The pair set off, layered in thick coats against the bitter cold, and walked hand-in-hand around the homestead, reveling in the touch of one another. They made small talk at first, but Waverly’s mind was clearly occupied by other thoughts.

                “Waves? Hun… what’s on your mind?” Nicole asked after Waverly neglected to answer her question, something unimportant about her favorite spots to play when she was a kid.

                “Hmm? Nothing babe, nothing at all. Why do you ask?” A grin spread across her face. It would have likely fooled most everyone else, but Nicole spent so much time studying those features she could tell it was forced.

                The taller one thought for a moment. “You know when we had that talk, back in my car? I told you I’d never ask you to be something you’re not. Remember that?”

                “How could I forget? I yelled at you that day, completely undeserved, and yet you were so kind. You don’t forget something like that.” The smaller woman peered upwards, her hazel eyes so disarming Nicole almost forgot what she was trying to say.

                “Well, I meant what I said, and I will never ask more of you than you’re willing to give. So I won’t press on the issue, but I know there’s more in that incredible brain of yours than you’re letting on; something’s clearly bothering you. Just know, that when you’re ready to talk, I’m here, ok? I’ll always be right here.” With that she squeezed Waverly’s hand harder, before letting go and putting an arm around her girlfriend’s shoulders. It caused a small pang of hurt in her ribs, but the moment was more important than her discomfort.

                Waverly pulled to a stop, bringing herself around to face the other woman, grabbing her waist. “Do you know why I love you, Nicole? It’s because of that, right there." She brought her finger up to Nicole's mouth, tapping her lips for emphasis, before bringing her hand back down to it's previous resting place. "Everyone I’ve ever dated has always thought they knew better than I did what was best for me, what I should or shouldn’t do. You… you give me the freedom to find myself, to do things at my own pace. I feel stronger being with you.” She blushed, embarrassed at her sudden brazenness, a trait that was so perfectly Waverly that Nicole couldn’t help herself. She bent down and kissed her tiny girlfriend with all the passion in her heart. Waverly pushed into the kiss, their lips moving against each other, attempting to show with action the love and care that words could never communicate. Nicole’s hands separated from Waverly’s shoulders, found her hips, and pulled her even closer. A pleased hum escaped from Waverly’s mouth, and she bit at Nicole’s lower lip as her hands grasped the back of her neck, entangling her fingers in her hair. “Hey… um, how’s your chest feeling?” She whispered against Nicole’s lips in between kisses, breathless with desire.

                Nicole pulled away an inch, slightly confused. “It’s pretty good, why do you-“, realization dawned on her as she saw the expression on Waverly’s face. “Oh. Yeah, no, it’s great. Perfect, actually. Completely healed.” She was grinning like an idiot, she knew she was, but she didn’t care.

                “Yeah?” Waverly had the same stupid look on her face too. They were drunk on each other, and for once they didn’t have to hide it. “Should we, uh, take a trip up to my room, then?" she asked, sheepishly, touching her forehead to the other woman’s. Waverly Earp, queen of bravery, sheepish around Nicole. She couldn’t believe it.

                “Uhh… yep, definitely, yep.” Her face was burning hot, she could only imagine how red it was. They’d come close to sex in the past, but had stopped short for various reasons. She’d promised herself from the beginning that she’d never push Waverly into something she wasn’t ready for, and as such had let her set the pace of the relationship, willing to wait and be patient, sure that the end result would be worth it. How couldn’t it be with her? She was pretty sure they were about to finally cross the threshold that day in the barn, what felt like an eternity ago, before they were so rudely interrupted by Willa. So now, if this was what Waverly was referring to… she could barely think straight she was so excited. Pun intended.

                Waverly ran around behind Nicole, a laugh escaping her lips, and smacked her on the butt. “C’mon then lady, let’s go!” She cackled as she semi-pushed the redhead forward, hands still firmly grasping her bottom. Nicole, never one to skip an opportunity to be goofy with Waverly, spun back around behind her, tickling her just below her ribs.

                “Oh you little shit, I’m gonna get you back!” Waverly teased, as she ran forward, grabbing Nicole’s hand and dragging her along. She didn’t have to try hard.

*~*

                The front door to the living room burst open, laughter and giggles proceeding the two girls. Wynonna, sprawled out on the couch, was just finishing up cleaning peacemaker. “Well hey there you two”, she said, pleased to finally see them both so happy.

                “Hi Wynonna! Bye Wynonna!” Waverly said as she scurried past the elder sister, pulling a not-at-all reluctant Nicole behind her. The two of them looked very, very intoxicated, and she knew exactly where this was headed.

                “Uh… hi!” Nicole gave an awkward wave with her available hand. It was quite obvious that she didn’t even register seeing the other brunette, her mind solely focused on her girlfriend and their intended destination.

                _Oh goodness_ , Wynonna thought, rolling her eyes. With that, she closed the cylinder on her gun and strode over to the coat rack, holstering peacemaker in the process. Throwing on her warmest coat and pair of boots, she made her way to the barn.

*~*

                Finally upstairs, with the door shut behind them, standing at the edge of the bed, Waverly reached for her girlfriend’s neck, eagerly pulling her into a kiss. The colors around them seemed brighter, more radiant than usual. Their lips met, an almost magnetic pull bringing them together. Waverly was surprised by how much she wanted this. In the past, sex had felt like something that she was just supposed to do. Sure, sometimes it was fun, and sometimes she’d been the initiator, but she never had wanted someone so completely before. Nicole wound her hands behind the brunette, placing her hands on the small of her back, and lifted the tail of her sweater up just a touch, just enough to trace her fingernails along her sides and around to her belly before letting the contact vanish. The move sent chills up her spine, and heat down between her legs. Waverly wound her fingers into Nicole’s hair, giving a very small tug as she nibbled at her bottom lip, a move that she knew Nicole liked, eliciting exactly the kind of response she’d hoped for. Nicole was always so patient with her, and she knew that she’d wait for permission before going any further, wanting to be sure that she wasn’t forcing anything on Waverly. So, breaking off the kiss, she moved her mouth to Nicole’s earlobe before giving that a little nibble as well. “I want you, so, so badly Nicole Haught.” She whispered as seductively as she could into her ear. “Take me, now.” She said this last part as she began lifting the taller woman’s sweater off.

She gave a pause. In the heat of the moment she’d let slip from her mind exactly how badly Nicole had been hurt. Her eyes found the enormous bruise plastered on Nicole’s chest, spreading from shoulder to shoulder and down to her belly button, even reaching around the back of her ribcage, a deep, dark purple coupled with green where the bruise was beginning to fade. Worry must have been plain on her face.

                “It’s not as bad as it looks, not anymore at least”, she said simply, giving a small shrug. “It’s not too unsightly… is it?” She actually looked worried, afraid that Waverly would think her undesirable. She was normally so confident, so sure in herself, this uncertainty in her voice spoke volumes about how much the event had shaken her. 

                Waverly leaned in and kissed the center of the bruise, just below her bra, and ever so lightly as to avoid hurting her. She was disgusted at what had caused this, at what had marred her beautiful skin, but she could never, ever find the woman before her anything less than absolutely gorgeous. “Not in the slightest, my love”, was her reply. “You sure it’s not going to hurt you… to…” she trailed off, the insinuation enough to get the point across.

                Nicole chuckled and grabbed her hips, desire etched into every square inch of her face. “You are simply incredible, Waverly Earp.” Such a simple statement, but to her it was so profound. Champ had always called her hot, focusing solely on her looks, not able to see the entirety that was Waverly. In fact, every person she’d been with in the past had never seen her for who she really was, had never seen beneath the surface. That isn’t to say that Nicole didn’t complement her on her looks, of course she did. But in that moment, it was plain that she didn’t just see her as sexy or pretty. She saw her as beautiful, for all of her mind, her charm, her bravery, as well as her looks. She looked at her and saw all that was Waverly. And as they stripped off their clothes, she realized she had never felt so naked before, so exposed. And yet, she wasn’t self-conscious in the slightest. Instead, she felt empowered, something she’d truly never expected. As they laid down on the bed, hands and mouths exploring, finding joy in the discovery of each other, she completely forgot about every terrible thing that had happened recently, lost in the music their love made.

*~*

                In the barn, ignoring the sounds that could be heard from Waverly’s room, even out this far, Wynonna wound her way to the far corner of the largest room. Hopping up on the edge of Doc’s bed, she reached up into the rafters, her hand seeking the object that occupied the majority of her thoughts as of late. Fingers finding their target, the cool glass smooth against her skin, she brought it down in front of her. The vial held a little of the black ooze vomited up by Waverly that fateful day. She gave it a little shake, and the liquid bubbled in retort. “What in the slimy hell _are_ you?” she asked no one. Without any motion on Wynonna’s part, seemingly in response to her question, the mysterious goop bubbled again. _Time for some answers_. Wynonna set her jaw, and walked to the truck. If it was answers she was looking for, she knew exactly where to start.

               


	4. Afterglow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nicole and Waverly continue being adorable, while Wynonna starts to show signs that not all is well. Some questions are answered, though they cause even more questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I intended this chapter to involve an upcoming plotline, but the scenes ended up being longer than I'd planned, so I split it up into two separate ones. I hope you all enjoy reading!

                 The two women, sated and exhausted, collapsed onto their backs, contentment and joy in their hearts. “Holy shit,” Waverly exhaled, breathless, “that was incredible.” She turned her head to look at Nicole, and the redhead could swear the other woman was glowing.

                “Yeah? Pretty good, eh?” Nicole asked, a flirty wink adorning her gleeful expression.

                “Oh, more than pretty good.” Waverly placed her hands behind her head, relaxing into the moment. She closed her eyes, and moved her head to face the ceiling, reveling in the tingly feeling that still coursed its way around her body. She shivered, and not from the cold. “By far the best I’ve ever had.”

                “So, you’re ok, then? Not freaking out, or anything?” Nicole was concerned. Romance was one thing, but being so intimate the first time, well, that was another thing entirely.

                The brunette opened her eyes, rolled onto her left side, and placed her head in the crook of Nicole’s shoulder, careful not to put too much pressure on the dark bruise. Her fingers traced around the taller woman’s breasts, following the curves like a road map, and slowly wound her way further down her body, stopping for a moment to circle her bellybutton, before resting the flat of her hand on her abdomen. She reached her lips up to kiss the line of her jaw, then nuzzled herself into Nicole’s neck. “The only way you could freak me out, love, is by leaving right now,” her voice muffled by the contact. She nipped Nicole’s neck, causing a slight gasp.

                “Mmm, that’s good to hear.” Nicole nestled deeper into the pillow, thoroughly enjoying the moment.

                A stretch of comfortable silence passed as the two basked in the afterglow of their union. Nicole found it incredibly difficult to believe she was actually here, naked in Waverly’s bed, that it wasn’t a dream. She thought back on the progression their relationship had taken, back to the first day she’d introduced herself in Shorty’s bar, and all the milestones between then and now. With a start, she realized something, and smacked her forehead. The sudden movement caused Waverly to flinch, and she looked up at the redhead, a puzzled expression on her face.

                “Waves, I just realized… we’ve never actually gone on a proper date.” She couldn’t believe it. With all the drama and horror the pair had been through, they’d never found the time to actually go out. Waverly laughed, a deep chuckle emanating from her core.

                “Ha! Don’t you think we’re a little past the point of dating? I mean, it’s been months now, we’ve already said ‘I love you’… I mean, it’s sweet, but I don’t think you need to worry about it.” 

                “I know… we’ve just had so many things get in the way, what with your sister- _both_ of your sisters, actually- constantly interrupting us, evil demons trying to kill us, et cetera, et cetera. I just want to take you out, you know? Make an honest woman out of you.” She winked. “We can go somewhere out of town, if it would make you more comfortable. Somewhere we won’t run into anyone we know.”

                “Honey, I’m pretty sure everyone knows by now.”

                “True, or at least most of the people who matter to us. But there’s a difference between people knowing and people seeing. I just don’t want to put you in a spot that would make you self-conscious.”

                Waverly brought herself up onto her elbow, resting her head in her hand, her expression serious. “Nicole, I have made you wait for so long while I figured everything out in my head. You’ve stuck with me through what has to be the worst family drama reality show ever, even getting shot in the process. Hell, I…” her voice softened greatly, “… I broke your ribs and put you in the hospital.” Nicole moved to interrupt, but Waverly gently touched a finger on her free hand to the other woman’s lips, a polite request to let her say her peace. “And through all of this, you have been the most patient, kind, thoughtful, brave, and all around most incredible person I have ever known. I _want_ people to see that I’m with you, to know exactly how lucky I am to hold your hand and call you mine.”

                “Waverly Earp, ever the wordsmith.” Tears welling up in her eyes, she lifted her head to the brunette’s, exchanging a soft, tender kiss, before settling back down, pulling the other woman down with her, back into their previous embrace. “So, then Ms. Earp, would you do me the honor of accompanying me on our very first date?”

                “It would be my pleasure, Ms. Haught”, she said, the smile on her face so wide it was evident in her words. “How does tomorrow night sound? We can celebrate your first day back on the job, and your first day as a black badge agent!”

                “That sounds perfect. I already have a few ideas in mind!”

                “Ooh, what are you thinking?”

                “What, and ruin the surprise? A lady never reveals her secrets.”

                Another silence stretched between them, this one somehow even more pleasant than the last. The light filtered in through the pink curtains in Waverly’s window, casting a pleasant glow around the room, motes of dust suspended in the sunbeam. Nicole brought her nose down into the brunette’s hair, wavy and tangled, intent on inhaling her scent. This moment was so perfect, so serene, she was determined to remember every detail she could. She began running her fingers lightly along her girlfriend’s back, attempting to memorize by feel the shapes and curves of her spine. Waverly snuggled closer in response.

                “Hey. So, I, uh, I’ve been meaning to ask,” Waverly started, obviously embarrassed, “I know you’ve been with other women before, and I obviously haven’t…” The question plain on her lips, Nicole kissed the top of her head.

                “Baby, you were amazing. Seriously. ‘The best I’ve ever had’, as you put it.” Waverly let out a breath she’d been holding and squeezed Nicole tighter, eliciting a slight hiss from the sudden pain.

                “Oh shoot! Sorry hun, did I hurt you?”

                “No, it’s ok, just a little twinge. Nothing another kiss can’t cure.” The redhead was addicted, plain and simple.

                “Hmm… and if we did more than kiss? What would that fix?” Waverly bit her bottom lip, unsure if Nicole would want another round so soon after the first.

                “I think that’s just what the doctor ordered.” Her breath quickened with anticipation.

                “Oh gosh, what a weird doctor!” Waverly giggled at her joke.

                “That was the worst joke I think you’ve ever made, Waves”, Nicole laughed as she moved to straddle the other woman.

                “Hey, you love my cheesiness, just admit it. And what do you think you’re doing? You,” she said as she grabbed Nicole’s shoulders and spun her around to lay on her back, the smaller one now on top, “aren’t the one who needs to practice.” She winked as she began to kiss her neck, slowly moving down her body towards her target, paying attention to every curve Nicole offered.

                “Well, I really don’t think you need any, but who am I to tell you not to study?” She arched her back as Waverly continued her journey, and she knew she was in for a glorious afternoon.

*~*

                Wynonna’s truck barreled down what she hoped was the right path, white surrounding her as far as the eye could see. It had been weeks since they’d buried the stone witch in the ground of the salt flats, and they’d intentionally left no markers pointing the way to her location, hoping that she’d be lost forever in the vast, empty land; it wasn’t a perfect plan, but it was the best they could do at the time. Doc sat in the passenger seat, still not comfortable behind the wheel, his previous attempts ending in the breakdown and subsequent combustion of his car, as well as his kidnapping at the hands of Big Bubba. Anger written into every line of his face, he was not happy about seeking the “ancient harpy” out, as he had once called her. Wynonna was driven, however, and Doc knew better than to try and stop her when she was like this. Killing Willa, and Waverly’s possession soon after had set something off in her, a dark, single-minded obsession with finding the answers she felt she needed. He didn’t claim to be the most empathetic individual on the planet but he was a damn good read on a poker face, and to do that one had to possess the ability to understand the motivations of others.

                Yes, he understood her perfectly fine. Wynonna was broken.

                As a child she’d killed her father; a mistake it may have been, but still, it had weighed on her consciousness her entire life. And now to that she’s added the death of her elder sister. Granted Dolls had shot her first, and the bullet Wynonna had sent was to spare Willa the agony which surely had awaited her in the “hands” of that monster. Regardless, a soul like Wynonna’s could only take so much guilt of this magnitude. And then there was Waverly. She was so fiercely protective of the littlest Earp, so desperate to hold on to this last bit of family she had remaining, that losing her to that demonic possession had been the final straw. It didn’t matter that Waverly was back, safe and sound. In Wynonna’s mind, she’d failed. She had a hero’s heart, despite how much she tried to hide it, and failing to save the people she felt responsible for… it was just too much. And honestly? Doc was terrified. Not of what she might do to him, but what she might do to herself, should she get too lost in her rage.

                “I can’t flippin’ believe it. Doc, look out to the left, d’you see that, too?” Wynonna pointed out her window at a speck of color on the otherwise blank canvas. “That’s gotta be her. Break out the margaritas, there’s plenty of salt to go around.” She angled the truck directly at the target, slamming on the gas pedal.

                “Humor aside, Wynonna, we should come up with a plan. This woman is more clever than either one of us has seen; we would do well to take some precautions.”

                “I have a plan, Doc”, she stated flatly.

                “And what is that, exactly?”

                “Get what I came here for.” She looked over at him, throwing the truck into a half spin as she did so, causing the tail end of the thing to swing around, spraying salt out in a wave behind them, bathing the witch’s head in the stuff.

                Wynonna hopped out of the door, and strode over to the witch, purpose and fury in every step. To Doc’s disgusted surprise, he felt a tiny pang of fear for the evil bitch. As they came upon the object of his vengeance, Wynonna bent down in front of her, removing a vial containing the black, other-worldly substance from her coat pocket.

                “Been a long time, Constance.” She shook the vial, bubbles forming on the liquid’s surface. “Tell me everything you know about this.”

                “I would say it’s a pleasure, but we both know that would be a lie”, Doc sneered.

                “Well, well, well, if it isn’t two of my favorite people, come to see little ol’ me?” Her voice high and thick with derision, sarcasm dripping from every word. “Why, I must be the luckiest gal to ev-.” She was cut off as Wynonna shoved a handful of salt in her mouth.

                “Look, I don’t have all day, and I really can’t sit around and wait until your face here is as dry as your cooch. Spit it out, already.”

                Doing just that, the witch tried her best to remove the salt from her tongue. “Blech!” She smacked her mouth a few times. “Fine! If you’d like to just forego the niceties, then so be it. Bring the damn thing a little closer, I can’t exactly reach up and grab it, you know.”

                Wynonna put the vial right in front of her eyes, shaking it again for dramatic effect.

                “Now tell me, heir, where exactly did you come by this… material?”

                “It was blood, or something, left by a giant monster that tried to worm its way into the Ghost River Triangle. A slimy thing, like an enormous snake, or a tentacle. Ring a bell?”

                The witch replied, more to herself than to her two interrogators. “Bobo actually did it, well I’ll be damned.” A mirthful laugh escaped her lips. “You failed! The revenants are free, and you’ve come to me seeking a weapon against them? Stupid girl.”

                “Actually, fucktard, I stopped him. Just like I stopped the monster. Just like I stopped Willa.”

                The witch’s face froze. “You killed your own sister?” Her voice low, disbelief evident in her tone. “In cold blood? And you call me a monster.”

                “She was already too far gone, thanks to you and Bobo. A debt I plan on repaying, in time. Now answer my goddamn question before I get pissed.”

                “Well, Wynonna, I will be glad to tell you anything you wish to know. All you have to do is let me out of this hellish place, and all your questions will be answered.”

                “Hell is where you belong, Constance Clootie. You’re not going anywhere.” With this she drew a large knife from her boot, waving it front of the prisoner’s face. “Seems like salt really does a number on you witches, what with you getting pickled in this hole and everything. I wonder what would happen,” she made a quick motion with the blade, a small cut forming on the blonde’s left cheek, “if it got into your blood.”

                For the first time since he’d known the woman, Doc saw fear creep into the witch’s eyes.

                “You wouldn’t.”

                “I’m going to be honest with you, Stone, I really don’t want to. But fate has a funny way of making us do the things we could never imagine ourselves doing. So believe me when I say this: tell me what you know, _everything_ you know, and I will spare you the agony; twiddlefuck around anymore, and I will make your time in solitary here look like a vacation.”

                A long pause settled between the pair, tension thick in the atmosphere. Wynonna sighed, resigned herself to her promise, and picked up some of the salt between her fingers.

                “OK, ok ok!” the witch cried, beaten and defeated. “I’ll tell you what I know.”

                Doc was right; for the first time in her life, Wynonna needed saving, and he had no idea where to even start.

*~*

                Waverly was full of butterflies climbing the steps to Nicole’s apartment. Even though they’d spent the last week or so together, setting foot into her girlfriend’s home still made her nervous, though she had no real reason for it. Placing the bag of groceries she was carrying onto her hip, holding it tight with one hand, she used her free one to knock on the large blue door. They’d planned on making dinner together tonight, choosing Nicole’s place to do so as she hadn’t been home in quite a while and needed to get back into some semblance of a routine before returning to work in the morning. She heard a rustle as Nicole placed something, probably a book, onto her coffee table, the cat making a loud thump as it jumped from her customary position on the redhead’s belly. The butterflies took flight, making a wild ruckus in her gut as Nicole threw the door open, enthusiastically greeting the small woman with a large hug and a tender kiss before grabbing the bag off her hip.

                “Hey, you’re the injured one here, shouldn’t I be carrying those?” Waverly was still being overly cautious.

                “Nope! You’re the one who just trekked up a bunch of stairs, all I’ve got to do is take them the last few feet to the kitchen. Now you make sure to love on CJ, she really missed you!” The cat wound herself between Waverly’s legs, meowing and purring, begging for attention. Waverly bent down and picked the animal up, cradling it like a baby, giving her neck scratches as she did so. This cat was so spoiled it was almost pathetic.

                “You know what’s ridiculous, babe?” Her cheeks flushed, embarrassed at her impending confession.

                “Hmm… my amazing butt?”

                Waverly chuckled as she made her way into the kitchen, cat still cradled in her arms. “No, butthead. Well, you do, but that wasn’t what I was talking about. I meant the fact that I still get nervous coming up here to see you. And the fact that I missed you, even though it’s only been a few hours.”

                Nicole shut the refrigerator with her hip, placing the remaining ingredients on the counter before sauntering over to Waverly, a shit-eating grin on her face. She placed her hands on either side of her girlfriend’s neck, pulling her into a kiss. The cat meowed, not pleased to have attention drawn away from it. “Well, what can I say? I’m very miss-able.” She laughed and kissed her again. “I missed you too, Waves. Since the second I left your house.”

                Frustrated, CJ squirmed until Waverly allowed her to jump from her arms. Hands now free, she grabbed Nicole’s shirt and pulled her in closer with no small amount of force, her lips moving with ever increasing passion.

                “You know, I have a feeling you’re going to make it very difficult for me to concentrate on cooking this delicious meal I have planned.” Nicole said in the space between their lips. An audible grumble escaped from her stomach. “How about we save this for dessert?”

                “What if I want dessert first?” an exaggerated pout on her face, she tried to look as pitiable as possible before a loud growl sounded from her belly as well. “Ok… maybe you’re right.”

                “Why don’t you come over here and help me cut up the veggies?” Nicole said as she put on some upbeat music, grabbing Waverly's hand in the process and pulling her into a spin, dipping the brunette’s head in a classic swing dancing move. Bringing her back upright, she grabbed a knife off the counter and handed the blade to her girlfriend, handle-first, of course.

                “That was a very smooth move, hotstuff, your ribs must really be feeling better!”

                “Mmhmm, almost back to normal! Just in time too, honestly. I’m not sure how good of a cop I’d’ve been, being in that kind of pain just from breathing.”

                Their meal was to be a simple one, but one of Waverly’s favorites: a lemon chicken piccata with rice and a side salad. Nicole placed a pot of water on the stove to boil while Waverly began slicing the cucumbers.

                “You excited to get back to things? I gotta imagine you’ve missed it.”

                “It’s weird. I’ve so enjoyed the past week, as much as I remember of it anyways,” Nicole chuckled, “but I really, truly cannot wait to get into the office in the morning. I miss feeling like I’m helping people, doing some good in the world, you know? Making a difference.”

                The chicken now in the pan to cook, the taller woman prepped the lemon, butter, and white wine necessary for the sauce while Waverly finished up with the salad. “Not weird at all! I’m anxious to get back to researching. There are… answers… that I need to find.” Understanding stretched between the two, unspoken. Nicole trusted Waverly to say her piece when she was ready, and as such didn’t press her for further explanation. “Besides, you know, we do work in the same building. I’m still going to see you like, all the time. And in uniform, too.” Her cheeks were a light pink, and not from the growing heat in the kitchen.

                “My dastardly plan is working!” Nicole made an attempt at an evil laugh as she flipped the chicken, clicking the tongs together for emphasis.

                “You are such a DORK!” Waverly threw a handful of lettuce at her girlfriend.

                “Hmm, yup! But a lovable one.” She gave the smaller woman a side long glance that seemed to say, ‘just wait until I get you back, later’. “Hey, would you grab the rice? I think the water’s ready.” They had purchased an already seasoned boil-in-bag rice side, as both had made disastrous attempts at cooking the stuff in the past, and neither felt like dealing with the terrible smell that accompanies burning the grains. A few minutes of silence passed as the pair focused on their individual tasks. Nicole placed the capers in the pan, drizzling the white wine and lemon into the mix, allowing the flavors to blend. Waverly combined all the veggies into one bowl, tossing the salad until she was satisfied it was thoroughly mixed. Finally, all that remained was putting everything together on their plates.

                “Hey, I just realized we never had our talk, catching you up on all the supernatural stuff.”

                “Oh, yeah, we never really did, did we? Well, to be honest, I think I’ve pieced most of it together already.” As they ate, Nicole went on to recount the entire story with alarming accuracy, even the parts she hadn’t been privy to as of yet. _Picked the smart one was right, Wynonna_ , Waverly thought, pride in her girlfriend filling up her heart. She decided that it was time to let someone else know about Bobo’s revelation to her in the treehouse, and that Nicole was the woman she should tell.

                “So, there’s actually one thing that no one else knows, not even Wynonna.” A lump appeared in her throat, and she swallowed it with some difficulty. “The treehouse that I told you about? The one where Willa had been held all those years? Well, I went to see Bobo there the day of the… the incident. And he said something that’s been haunting me ever since.” Nicole’s eyebrows twitched. “He… he said I’m not an Earp.”

                An uncomfortable silence lingered in the air, thick and palpable, Nicole obviously wrestling with how to proceed. She reached across the table to grab Waverly’s hands, brushing aside the empty plates as she did so. “And what do you think about that? Do you think he was telling the truth? He was a demon, after all.”

                “Yes, he was, and a sick sonofabitch at that, but somehow it all makes sense. I’ve told you before how my dad barely spoke to me, how he forgot my birthdays every year. Willa was always a bully to me, blaming me for mom and dad fighting, for them splitting up. I mean, Bobo’s a dick, but for whatever reason he never lied to me.”

                More silence.

                Nicole slid her chair back, standing up, and moved over to Waverly, offering her a hand and pulling her up as well. “Thank you for telling me.” She wrapped the small brunette in a tight embrace. They stood there, and Nicole let the tears from Waverly’s eyes spill onto her shirt. A long time passed before either moved to speak.

                “What do you need from me baby? I know you don’t need me to solve your problems, but I want to help.”

                “Well, I actually could use a favor. Do you know anyone who can run a DNA test? Dolls is still M.I.A. and I’d rather this not get out right now.”

                “I know a girl from the academy, she works in the big city. I could contact her, see if she can do anything. Are you wanting me to see if you and Wynonna are really sisters?”

                “Mmhmm. I have a ziplock bag in my purse with some of her hairs inside.”

                “Sounds like a plan, Waves. Is there anything I can do for you right now? Tonight?”

                Waverly made a weak attempt at laughing, pulling away from the hug to stare up into those lovely, chocolate eyes. “I believe I was promised dessert?”

                “That can be arranged”, Nicole said through a small, quiet smile. She grabbed Waverly’s hands and began pulling her into the bedroom.

                “What about the dishes?” She was a clean freak, after all.

                “Those can wait until morning, you’re more important right now.” They closed the door behind them, leaving the cat out, not wanting to be interrupted.

*~*

                Nicole arrived at the station before the sun had even risen, desperate as she was to get back into her work. She wanted to go through the case files she’d missed during her time off, and Nedley had requested a meeting with her first thing as well. Walking into the office was surreal to say the least; so many terrible things had occurred right where she was standing, now only existing in her memories, the building empty, peaceful, no trace of the blood and horror that had once soaked the floor. She hung her coat and hat on the rack as she’d done that fateful morning, before all hell had broken loose, and reclaimed her chair at her desk. A stack of files had been left by Nedley the night before for her to peruse, knowing she’d want to get caught up. She was nervous about their upcoming “chat”, as he’d called it, unsure if it was to be about her relationship with Waverly or about her being made a black badge agent. She was fairly confident it wasn’t the former, considering his nonchalant reaction to Champ’s outing of the two of them, but she had to consider all possibilities; this was a small town after all, just like the one she’d grown up in, where she had dealt with all kinds of homophobia being the only openly gay woman in the city. More than likely, however, he just wanted to check in with her, see how her injuries were healing. He’d stopped by during her recovery, of course, and had even made sure to feed her cat while she was staying with the Earps, but he’d always avoided the obvious question: would she be able to continue to perform her duties? It was a legitimate concern, one he had to ask as her sheriff. Regardless, the meeting wouldn’t happen for at least another hour, so she dove into the reports on her desk, losing herself in her work.

                A short time later, to her complete and utter shock, Wynonna strode into the station, sunglasses on despite the fact the early morning light was barely noticeable above the horizon, coffee in one hand, coat in the other. _Guarantee that’s not just coffee_ , Nicole thought.

                “Morning, Dimples. Meeting in the office, 10 minutes.”

_Dimples? Since when did she start calling me that?_ “Good morning to you too, Wynonna. Here awfully early, ain’t ya?”

                 “Ain’t no rest for the wicked, Haught.”

                  On her heels was Doc, still half-asleep and probably still drunk, he half-walked, half-stumbled his way to the nearest chair. Plopping himself down wordlessly, he tipped his hat in Nicole’s direction before wheeling himself the rest of the way to the office. _Poor guy, he looks like he just went toe-to-toe with the devil himself_ , she pondered, imagining an old-timey boxer with Doc’s face in a boxing ring, facing off against a giant red, stereotypical depiction of Lucifer. She so amused herself sometimes. To her delight, coming in right behind the pair, walked Waverly, wearing the biggest smile and carrying two boxes of doughnuts. _This woman trails sunshine and rainbows behind her, I swear._

                  “Hey baby, how’s the morning coming along?” she said as she dropped the treats on Nicole’s desk, reaching up for a quick peck on the lips. “It was sad waking up in your bed without you, though CJ was good company. And goddamn that is an enormous stack of case files. What happened, did a moose hold up a liquor store?”

                  “Sorry for leaving so early, I was just anxious to get started. Plus, I wanted to let you sleep in.” She opened one of the boxes, removing one of the custard-filled eclairs, her favorites. “And no, most of these are frivolous complaints; old woman Josie is claiming that angels are invading the town again.” She paused, “angels aren’t real, are they?”

                  Waverly laughed. “Not that we know of, no.”

                 “Thank goodness, I did _not_ want to set foot in that crazy hoarder’s home. Last time I did I walked away with four spider bites and a reinvigorated fear of mice.”

                 “Oh goodness, sounds harrowing,” Waverly teased, obviously amused at the thought of her tall girlfriend afraid of the small, furry creatures.

                “OK you two, get your faces off one another and bring those adorable asses in here!” Wynonna called from the office.

                “Hey Waves? Could you stall for me a bit? I wanted to meet with Nedley before I disappeared into the BBD office. He’s been so understanding lately, I feel like I owe him that, you know?”

                “Oh, totally, hun. And don’t worry, I got Wynonna a box of doughnuts, should buy you at least 15 minutes.”

                “Wait, who’s the other box for?”

                “For you to give to Nedley, as a thank you”, she said grinning, “I figured you’d want to leave him a little something.”

                Nicole was embarrassed. She’d completely neglected to get the sheriff a thank you gift. “You’re a life saver, Waves. Thank you.”

                “You mean I’m sweet, delicious, and you can eat me without worrying about choking?” The redhead’s face got very hot, remembering their multiple escapades yesterday. She stammered.

                Waverly guffawed, picking up one of the boxes from the desk. “Nicole, I daresay you’re speechless!” She gave her girlfriend another kiss, and sauntered away, obviously pleased with the effect her words had. “Enjoy your meeting!” she yelled behind her.

                Shortly after the black badge door closed, Wynonna’s squeals of delight echoing through the office, Nedley walked in, eyes cast down and shoulders hunched. He caught Nicole in the corner of his eye and gave a start, obviously expecting to be the first one in that day. “Deputy Haught, didn’t expect to see you here this early”, he said, standing straighter, clearly happy to have his only officer back. “Still up for our little chat?”

                “Sure thing, sir. Be right there.”

                She waited until she heard the sound of air releasing from his chair as he seated himself in his customary spot before getting up from hers, box of treats in hand. Entering his office, she placed the pastries between them, lowering herself in the seat across from his computer. “For you, sir, as a thank you for all you did for me while I was injured.”

                “Don’t mention it, officer. But I thank you”, he said, opening the box and removing a chocolate donut with sprinkles. He and Wynonna had more in common than they thought. “I take it you’re feeling better, then?”

                “Much, sir. Back to normal, really. Just minor pangs when I push too hard on something in the wrong position.” She fought down thoughts of what had caused those last night.

                “And these pangs won’t interfere with your ability to do your job?”

                “No sir, not at all. I’m rearin’ to get back into it.”

                Tension visibly released from his shoulders. “Thank goodness. If I may be frank, it hasn’t been the same around here without you. You’re a hell of a cop, Nicole. I’m glad to have you back.”

                She couldn’t help the smile on her face. “Thank you, Sheriff. That really means a lot.”

                “Now, I’m aware that Agent Dolls welcomed you to the Black Badge Division the night of the poisoning. I’m perfectly fine with you splitting your time, especially since it seems a large number of the crimes around here seem to be up their alley anyways, but I trust this won’t take away from your official duties as well, right?”

                “No sir, I don’t think it will. I’ll do my best, at the very least.”

                “I expected nothing less. Well, unless you have anything to say, I think that’ll be all, Haught.”

                The redhead stood to leave, Nedley stopping her before she exited the doorway. “Oh, one more thing, Nicole.” She turned to face him, hands on her belt, worried at what he was going to say next. There really was only one other topic that hadn’t been addressed. “You’ll find no interference from me regarding your relationship with Waverly, in fact I think you the two of you make a fine couple.” Her breathing eased, this was not at all what she had expected. “But Waverly is dearly loved in this town, and there are many who won’t take kindly to your being together, it being a small, conservative town and what not. If anyone gives the two of you any trouble, and I mean it, let me know. I won’t tolerate that kind of behavior here, not while I’m Sheriff.”

                Nicole was close to tears. “Sir, may I speak freely?” A nod from Nedley told her to proceed. She dropped her hands from their position at her belt buckle. “Thank you, sincerely. Your support means a great deal to me. And to Waverly, I’m sure.”

                “Just treat her right, Officer Haught. And you’re welcome.” A grin formed at the edge of his mouth. “That’ll be all, carry on.” With that, she made her way to the office, anxious to tell Waves the good news.

*~*

                Nicole opened the office door as Wynonna was stuffing her fourth donut into her mouth. Waverly grinned like an idiot, just like she did every single time she looked at her girlfriend, and patted the seat of the chair next to her. Nicole took her place at the table, grabbing Waverly’s hand as she did so. Doc was asleep in his chair, head tilted back and cockeyed, the position causing him to snore, his moustache flowing in and out with each breath. How that didn’t annoy him Waverly hadn’t the foggiest. Nicole leaned in closer to her, and pitched her voice lower as to not wake him up.

                “So, Nedley approves. Said that if anyone tries anything with us to let him know.”

                “Aww, that’s so sweet! I hope he doesn’t know about us and his couch…”

                “Ok you two, quit being gross.” Wynonna said as she kicked Doc under the table, startling him awake. He reached for his gun out of instinct before realizing where he was at. “Wake up there, mustache, we’ve got things to tell these two.”

                “Wait, the two of you called this meeting? I thought this was all your doing Wynonna?” Waverly was surprised that Doc would volunteer such an early morning get together if he was just going to sleep through the whole thing.

                “Nope, just me. But Doc was with me when we found out the stuff I wanna talk about.”

                “Yes, yes I was, though I protested greatly to this gathering being held at such an inappropriate hour”, Doc said, grogginess thick in his voice, making it nearly impossible to understand that strange drawl of his.

                “And like I told you last night, we need to tell Waverly about this ASAP.” Wynonna turned her attention to her younger sister. “Waves, don’t freak out, but we need to talk about what possessed you.” She reached into her pocket and placed a small glass vial on the table, black liquid bubbling inside. Waverly’s chair shot backwards as she jumped as far away from the substance as she could, knowing exactly what it was.

                “What in the holy fuck are you doing with THAT, Wynonna?” She screamed, terror plain in her voice. The memories of her time possessed flooding her mind, unbidden. Nicole stood to come to her, but Waverly backed away, continuing until she reached the corner of the room, tears in her eyes. “Why, Wynonna? WHY DO YOU HAVE THAT!”

                “Waves, Waves, hey, baby,” Nicole’s face appeared before her own, hands gentle on her jaw, thumbs massaging her just below her cheekbones, “I’m here, you’re safe. Don’t look at that, put your eyes on me. C’mon, babe, look at me.” With an effort, Waverly took back control of her thoughts, and looked into her girlfriend’s eyes. “That’s it. Now hey, I know this is hard, but Wynonna wouldn’t have brought this up if it weren’t necessary, right? Though if it’s too much for you, I understand. I can listen to what your sister has to say and tell you later.”

                “No, no, you’re right.” She made her way back to the table, gripping Nicole’s hand with all her strength, knuckles white from the effort. If it hurt her, the taller woman showed no sign. “But seriously, though, why do you have that stuff? After all the, the pain it caused?”

                “I’m so sorry, Waves, I really am. I didn’t mean to scare you. But I needed to save some, to help me find out what happened to you. I needed to know what hurt my baby sister.” She looked down at the table, pain on her face.

                “It’s… it’s ok, Wynonna. I understand. I want answers too… I just didn’t expect to see, _that_ ,” she pointed to the vial, derision plain on her face, “ever again. It was a shock, that’s all.” A look of understanding passed between the two. Their relationship had become very real and deep these past few months, and though it was far from perfect, Waverly was glad they’d become so close. “Ok, pass me a doughnut, I’m as ready now as I’ll ever be.”

                “Alright. So, yesterday Doc and I went to see the stone witch. I know, I know, it was a dumb thing to do,” she said in anticipation of protests from the couple, but was met with nothing but silence, “ok, maybe not so dumb. Anyways, we got her to tell us what she knew about the stuff, which wasn’t much, but it’s a start.” Waverly noticed a complicated expression from Doc, a mix between anger and, was that concern? Worry? For whom? She took note of it to bring up with him later. “Turns out, this is the blood from something that belongs to a race of ancient demons, only referred to as ‘The Old Ones’.” She let that sink in, then continued. “No one knows exactly what they look like, or how big they are, except that they’re _enormous_. The giant tentacle-thing we saw? Apparently that was only part of one. And they all want to get into the Ghost River Triangle for some reason.”

                “Wait, so when Willa crossed the border, she about let giant monsters in?” Nicole asked, her skin pale. “Holy shit, did we all almost die?” Waverly hadn’t mentioned how close things came to going south that day, figuring it best that she not know.

                “Yep.” She popped the ‘p’. “Turns out that the heir is the key to keeping those monsters out. And apparently,” Wynonna shook the vial, “this stuff is a whopper of an ingredient in some of the most powerful spells out there. Incredibly difficult to come by, I’d imagine.” Something about that irked Waverly, though she couldn’t quite discern exactly what it was.

                “What else did you learn? What kind of spells is it used for?” Nicole was on the edge of her seat, her skin back to its normal color, her curious nature taking over. She’d recovered quickly from the news of the town’s near destruction, never one to let anything get her down for long.

                “Nothing, that’s it. Though the witch did say something about-“

                 Nicole’s radio squawked. “11-71, 504 S. Main St. EMS requested on site. 10-37.”

                “What does that mean?” Wynonna asked.

                 Nicole was already on her feet and halfway out the door before she stopped. “That means there’s a fire downtown, and it looks suspicious. You lot coming, or are you just gonna sit there and eat doughnuts all day?” She grinned, obviously excited for the action. That was all she needed to say. Wynonna pocketed the vial while she stood, Doc and Waverly already on Nicole’s heels.

                “Wait for me, guys! Jeesh, I’m the one with the big, shiny gun!”


	5. Keep the Embers Burning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A hot new case falls into the gang's lap: fires are being set all around town, all with a strange, supernatural origin. The four of them work together to suss out the mystery behind these occurrences.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the continuation of the previous chapter, probably should be called 4B, or something. This one was so fun to write, it being completely different from the previous entries. I tried my best to capture the feel of a typical WE episode, hopefully I was successful. Thanks for reading! :)

               The apartment was a small one, located above one of the pizza places on Main St, its charred remains looking very much like the last time Wynonna had tried to cook dinner. “Damn, if I lived above a pizza place I would be _so fat_ ”, the heir laughed, completely unconcerned with the fact that an entire family was suddenly without a home. The fire had been extinguished before the gang arrived, and they were waiting on clearance from the fire marshal to go inside to investigate. Nicole was standing a few feet away interviewing the man who’d called in the incident, her red hair how up in its usual French braid, Stetson in its rightful place.

                She was in her element, and _damn_ was she all the more gorgeous for it. Waverly’s knees were very, very weak.

                “All clear! You lot can head on in, though why anyone would let Wynonna Earp into a crime scene is beyond me.” The marshal was not a fan, apparently.

                “Aww, Jim, you’re so sweet, being all concerned for my safety.” She patted his cheek as she walked through the doorway, Waverly and Doc hot on her heels. The one bedroom abode was cramped, the bits of what was once a couch adorning the far wall of the living room, the remains of a table the other. The hardwood floor in the middle was covered by a rug, the color of which was no longer discernible, such was the extent of the damage.

                “Odd, looks like the fire started here, in the middle of the room”, Waverly told Doc and Wynonna, kneeling down to inspect the rug more closely.

                “How do you figure, babe?” Nicole said from the entryway, apparently having finished up with her interview.

                “Well, if you look around the room, the damage seems to be less and less severe the farther away you go. Which is odd, because if a fire were to be caused by accident you would think it should be nearer a wall, or in the kitchen: somewhere near a source of heat or electricity.”

                “That’s my girlfriend, everybody, town genius.” Nicole beamed pride.

                “Well, Waves, what do you think coulda caused it then?” Wynonna asked, deferring to her sister’s examination.

                “Hmm… honestly, I don’t know. Think we can move this rug? That won’t mess with the crime scene, will it Nicole?” Waverly wanted to make sure she didn’t interfere with her lady’s work, after all.

                “Nope, as far as I’m concerned this scene is yours, my dear.”

                The four of them placed themselves, one at each corner, needing to pry the melted fibers off the charred wood before they could even budge it. Once free, they worked together to move the thing, heavier than any of them had suspected.

                “Why is this so heavy!” Wynonna complained through gritted teeth. “It feels like it’s glued to the damn floor!” The rug suddenly came free, almost like a weight had been lifted from it, causing the four of them to stumble, Waverly actually falling onto her tailbone, a small ‘ouch’ escaping from her lips. Before she could move, Nicole was by her side, offering her a hand up. She gladly accepted.

                “And I thought _I_ made your knees weak”, she teased, parroting Waverly’s thought from earlier. As the smaller one was about to form what was sure to be a witty retort, Wynonna gasped.

                “What in the Bob Ross is that?” She pointed to a large drawing etched into the wooden planks of the floor. It appeared to be a large circle, almost as wide as the rug itself, seemingly carved into the wood. No, not carved. Burned.

                “How in the hell would this get burned into an already charred area?” Waverly thought out loud as she crouched low over the edge of it, long, wavy brown hair almost dipping into the soot. “Unless this itself was the source of the fire.” She ran a finger along inside of the groove, bringing it away covered in ash. As her eyes adjusted to the black, she was able to sort out more details that she’d missed a minute earlier, small swirls and jagged lines. Her eyes scanned the design, seeing more and more, a repeating pattern travelling along the entire circumference of the thing. These lines were not carved as deeply into the wood as the border. Even shallower still were the shapes scattered throughout the middle, a complicated mess that she couldn’t quite make out. “Nicole, do you have ideas on how we could wipe the soot off this thing?”

                “I could grab a broom, a brush or something, maybe it would sweep off?”

                “It’s worth a shot. I think I might know what this thing is, but I need to see more to be sure.”

                “What are you thinking it could be?” Doc asked as Nicole disappeared in search of Waverly’s request.

                “Nothing good, that’s for certain. I think I want to wait until I’ve confirmed it, no offense. It’s only an inkling, after all.”

                “On pins and needles here, baby girl.” Wynonna chimed in. Luckily she didn’t have to wait long, as Nicole appeared through the doorway almost as soon as she left, now holding both a broom and a small brush.

                “Thankfully the pizza place downstairs wasn’t harmed. They loaned us these, didn’t tell them what we planned to do with ‘em, though.” Doc grabbed the broom, and Waverly the brush as she was already knelt down close to the floor. They began methodically removing the soot off the lines they could see, slowly revealing the larger pattern at work.

                “Just as I thought. It’s a summoning circle.” Waverly informed the group as she stood, arching her back, sore from being hunched over for so long.

                “Seriously? For what? And you guys, don’t you think it’s a little weird that the family living here hasn’t shown up yet? I mean, it’s a small town, word travels fast.” Nicole wondered, her police skills taking over.

                “No clue, but we should probably head back to the station and find out.” Wynonna said, grabbing her phone and snapping a few pictures of the design.

                “Meet you back at the copshop, babe?” Waverly asked her girlfriend.

                “Sure thing, I just gotta stay here a bit longer and finish up some paperwork first.” Nicole planted a kiss on her lips before they parted ways. _Yep, working with her is going to be quite delightful_ , Waverly thought, before Wynonna smacked her on the butt, leaning her head onto her shoulder.

                “Your girlfriend is pretty impressive there Waves. You’ve fallen pretty hard for her, haven’t you?”

                “Oh yeah. Bad.”

*~*

                The two Earps, Doc at their side, were just about to start the truck when Nicole knocked on Wynonna’s window. She opened her door, and the red haired woman poked her head into the cab.

                “There’s been another fire, other side of town. Seems unlikely its chance, we should probably check it out.”

                “Yeah, probably not a coincidence. Waves?” Wynonna looked over at her younger sister. “You should probably head back to the station, see what you can find out about the summoning circle. We’ll go look into the fire, see if it’s anything like what we just found. Nicole, do we know who lived at this address?”

                “No, but I can radio in on the way, see if Nedley does.”

                “Ok, Waverly, you take the truck. Can we ride with you?” she asked the other woman.

                “Sure thing, but one of you is gonna have to ride in the back.” Doc and Waverly both turned their attention on Wynonna.

                “Oh come _on_! Ain’t I the one in charge here? That should at least get me front seat privileges!”

                Doc cleared his throat. “My dear, as much of a gentleman as I consider myself to be, there is nothing in this world that will get me to willingly sit inside of a vehicle that I am not able to extricate myself from.” He may be new to the world of motor vehicles, but he knew he couldn’t get out of the back of a police car on his own. Wynonna protested just as stubbornly, and the two began to bicker over who would be locked in the back, the brunette citing all the time she’s spent handcuffed in one already, Doc reminding her of his time spent trapped underground in a well.

                Waverly glanced over to Nicole, an exasperated look on her face. The redhead chimed in.

                “Look, if you two can’t figure this out, you’re _both_ gonna take a ride in the backseat.” She looked each of them in the eye, hoping to hammer the point home. The two in question turned their attention back on each other, their argument beginning anew.

*~*

                Nicole climbed into the driver’s side of her vehicle, taking off her Stetson and placing it onto the empty seat to her right. Her two passengers, locked in together in the back, were actually pouting, looking utterly like children. “I told you the two of you, didn’t I?”

                “Just when I was starting to like you”, Wynonna said, sticking out her tongue like a three year old.

                “Hey now, I broke Champ’s jaw, you better like me.” She grinned at the woman through her rearview mirror.

                Wynonna’s mouth fell open. “You did _not_. Seriously?! How did I not hear about that yet?!” She let out a roar of a laugh. “I take it back, Dimples, you’re alright. When did this go down?” She continued chuckling to herself. Doc had a grin on his face as well, obviously not a fan of the boy either.

                “The night of Bobo’s party. So I take it I can continue dating your sister, then?” She asked her jokingly, throwing the car into gear as she did, peeling out of the parking lot with lights flashing.

                “Honey, I don’t think I could stop her even if I wanted to. Please promise you’ll tell me the whole story later.”

“It’s a deal”, replied Nicole, pleased that she was the one to actually tell Wynonna.

“Gotta say though, it’s not so bad being in the back of one of these when you’re not handcuffed.”

                “I beg to differ. This is less than unpleasant.” Doc was back to looking like he might be sick. “If Wynonna has changed her mind, Officer Haught, is there any chance I might be able to persuade you to let me change seats?”

                “Nope! Car’s already in motion, nothing I can do about it now.” She totally could’ve, but she’d be lying to herself if she said she wasn’t enjoying this a little. Doc muttered to himself in the back seat, something about the well and the law, she couldn’t quite make out most of his words. Nicole giggled to herself.

                The second apartment was similar to the first, a large circle burnt into the hardwood floor of the living room, the family of the building impossible to contact. The design to the circle looked similar, though slightly different to the previous one, it was difficult to tell seeing as the patterns so intricate and hard to discern. Nedley called while they cleared the scene, giving Nicole the identities of both families, informing her that he was looking but was as of yet unable to locate them. Wynonna snapped another picture with her phone, texting it to Waverly, before calling her for an update. She placed the phone on speaker so everyone could hear.

                “So, it appears that this circle is related to the previous one, and if my research is correct, it’s the second in a series of four needed to summon some sort of fire demon.”

                “Well that seems a little on the nose, doesn’t it?” Wynonna pondered.

                “The script goes on to say that the summoner must ‘paint the circle with the blood of one whose fire still burns’, which I take to mean the person either must be a mortal or still alive, or both, who knows with these old things.”

                “You’ve _got_ to be kidding me.” Wynonna said incredulously. “A pretty repetitive theme, don’t you think? Waverly, where are you getting this info from?”

                There was a pause on the other end of the line. “The internet.” She said meekly. “But I swear it’s accurate! Probably. I’m pretty good at finding this kind of stuff out, you know.”

                “Hey, if Waverly says it’s a fire demon, then that’s what it is.” Nicole stated definitively.

                “Ok, ok, be a good girlfriend why don’t you, Haughtstuff.” A sudden look of realization plastered itself on her face. “OH. MY. GOD. How did I not see this before? _So. Many. Puns_!!!” Nicole just slapped her forehead. She knew this was going to happen eventually, and honestly it shocked her that it took Wynonna this long.

                “So wait, does this mean that people are dead? Or do we have a missing persons case on our hands?” she asked Waverly.

                “Not sure yet. Nedley have any luck?”

                “He hasn’t called in, so probably not. Until we hear otherwise, it would probably be best to treat this like a kidnapping. Hell, whoever did this probably still needs them for something.”

                Wynonna beamed. “So glad we brought you in on this stuff”, she said.

                “There’s more.” Waverly said over the phone. “Apparently, the four circles are just the setup, purifying the places where each family is taken from. It looks like there’s supposed to be one final circle, where the actual demon will be summoned.” Relief washed over Wynonna; there was still a chance for them to stop this monster.

                Nicole’s radio chirped, a third fire was just reported, same M.O. as the previous two. “My money is on there being a fourth as well, and soon,” Doc said after the dispatcher finished her spiel, “considering what our brilliant researcher has discovered.”

                “I get it, I get it, sorry for doubting you, Waves. But this has revenant written all over it. Could you look into anyone in your archives who maybe had a little too unhealthy of an obsession with things burning?”

                “Good idea. And Nicole?”

                “Yeah, babe?”

                “You have my permission to slap Wynonna when her puns get too annoying.” The elder sister grinned from ear to ear.

                “I have a feeling that won’t take too long.”

*~*

                The third and, yes, fourth fires were more of the same. By the end of the ordeal, the backs of all three were entirely too sore, and they were quite ready to never touch a broom again. Wynonna was starting to get frustrated; she hated feeling like they were constantly a step behind. No one had yet heard from any of the families, but Nedley found a commonality between all of them: they all were composed of four members, two parents and two children. _Damn occultist bullshit, why does it always have to be so_ neat _?_ _Four circles, four families, four members… it’s like whoever wrote these freaking spells couldn’t think of any better ideas_ , Wynonna thought wryly. Her, Doc, and Nicole were all in the officer’s car, Doc riding shotgun at this point, refusing to take no for an answer, when Waverly called Nicole’s cell.

                “Hey you, what do you have for us?” A pause as the other woman spoke something inaudible to the rest. “Okay, see you in five.” She turned to her passengers. “Waves said we should meet her at the station, she found something that she thinks we need to see.” With that she pulled out onto the narrow street, accelerating hard, the g-forces pushing Wynonna into the plush leather of backseat.

                Not even five minutes later, they were back in the Black Badge office, staring at a map of Purgatory pinned to the caseboard. Waverly was standing in front of it, catching them up on the research she’d done. “So, I noticed a pattern in the locations of the fires”, she said, placing a pin in the corresponding address for each one. She then picked up a pencil and a meter stick, and drew lines between the tacks. “If you notice, the locations weren’t random. They form a perfect trapezoid, though I haven’t the foggiest what that could mean.”

                “Could there be something in the middle of it?” Nicole asked, borrowing the stick and pencil from Waverly, connecting the dots and placing a pin where they intersected. _This woman really took to this supernatural stuff quickly, like a fish to water._ “Hmm… never mind, that’s in the middle of one of the roads, we probably would’ve noticed if something was going down in broad daylight, out in the open.”

                “What about underground? Any way this dude took up shop in a sewer or something?” Wynonna suggested.

                Waverly unrolled a map of the sewer lines running underneath the city. “Probably not, there doesn’t seem to be anything even close to this spot.” The group fell silent, the only noise coming from Doc as he flipped through the pages of Waverly’s research into the revenants.

                “Well I’ll be…” Doc muttered before addressing the others, “I think I know who’s doing all of this.” The other three gathered around the man, peering over his shoulder at the picture adorning the page. “Ike Blakeman’s his name, but he was better known as ‘Slim’ in my day, on account of his enormous stature. I didn’t know it at the time, but apparently he was quite the pyromaniac. Says here that Wyatt put him down in 1888, after I was already thrown into that god-forsaken well.”

                “Hey, it’s a lead. Nice work, Doc.” Nicole slapped him on the shoulder.

                “Now how do we follow up on it, though? Anyone know where the revenants are hanging out now that their bar’s a bust?”

                “We could try the trailer park, isn’t that where you lot said they gathered before they bought Shorty’s?” Nicole suggested.

                “Hang on a second, guys.” Waverly interrupted. “What if we were wrong? What if the lines aren’t supposed to meet in the middle…” she grabbed the straightedge again, and proceeded to draw a line extending out from each side of the trapezoid, sticking another pin in board where they met, far out of the city and into the northwest corner of the Ghost River Triangle.

                “That’s my girl!” Nicole beamed pride, wrapping the smaller one in a tight embrace.

                “Alright, Waverly, you stay here and see if you can find a way to stop or reverse the spell, just in case we don’t get there in time. Doc, you go to the trailer park, try to find whatever information you can about this Slim fella. Haughtpants, you’re with me. Let’s go shoot some revenant ass.” Nicole was practically dancing from foot to foot she was so excited.

                “Feels like I've been waiting to hear you say that for a long, long time.” She replied.


End file.
